40 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 2 Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God promised this calamity against this place; 3 and the Lord has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you. 4 But now, behold, I am freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If [a]you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will [b]look after you; but if [c]you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, [d]never mind. Look, the whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.” 5 As [e]Jeremiah was still not going back, [f]he said, “Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a ration and a gift and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to Mizpah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.
Here we have an account of the aftermath, where the exiles are all bound in chains and getting ready to leave for Babylon. Now Nebuzaradan had received orders to take special care of Jeremiah, as had the other officers, but perhaps those came after the Jews had already been rounded up. Either way, Nebuzaradan finds Jeremiah and releases him, treating Jeremiah better than some of his own people had.
Even further to that point, he tells Jeremiah that he can come to Babylon and be well-cared for, or stay in Judah, the choice was up to him (v. 4). It seems Jeremiah was torn, and it certainly may have seemed good that he should live comfortably in Babylon, and perhaps also speak to those in captivity. Maybe he could be an encouragement there? At the same time, I think he knew God wanted him to stay, but it wouldn’t be easy or comfortable.
Most of those left behind were poor with little to no provisions, and likely for this reason Nebuzaradan gives Jeremiah a gift and rations (v. 5). The hesitation for Jeremiah might have also been waiting to hear from God, which way should he go? He could likely also be an encouragement, bringing God’s words for those who remained, since they also would have a difficult life with most of their countrymen exiled.
Whatever the case, even the translation of the beginning of v. 5 has left scholars wavering between two options (see ESV vs. NASB or NKJV). And I’m reminded of one of my favorite characters in one of my favorite books who said, “Don’t be hasty…” Jeremiah was not, and as a result, he received even more than the freedom to choose his destination–the gift and provisions from Nebuzaradan.
We run around in our fast paced society, and it’s easy to just go with the flow, and not have to make hard choices. Let someone else worry about that, we just want to be comfortable. But comfort isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be, and can often make us weak.
The truth is, we already are weak, and God wants us to be stronger. Not just that, but He wants us to rely on His strength, which is better, infinitely better even. Don’t be hasty indeed, and do not look for the easy way out. Instead, “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.” (Heb. 1-2a) Jesus did the same, so let us follow His example each day.